The present invention relates generally to lighter-than-air gas-containing airships, and more particularly to a method and associated apparatus for landing and anchoring airships.
Balloons, blimps and zepplins have captured the fancy of man since he first aspired to fly. These airships combine desirable characteristics from the standpoint of aerodynamics travel economy and ecology. Lighter-than-air vehicles can remain aloft indefinitely and are capable of touching down in areas which would be inaccessible for most other conventional transport vehicles. They can be powered by a simple propeller engine and refueling can be accomplished either directly from the ground or by means of a simple umbilical cord from another aircraft.
Airships containing lighter-than-air gas provide inexpensive and environmentally inoffensive means of transporting people or cargo. Unfortunately, rigid frame zepplins are virtually obsolete and, amoung currently utilized airships, blimps have been relegated to use for advertising and promotional campaigns while balloons find frequent use by fanciful dare-devils in attempted uncontrolled--and usually unsuccessful--record free-air flights.
People have been reticent since the later 1930's to pursue flight by lighter-than-air vessels, after the "Hindenburg" was mysteriously and spectacularly consumed by flames. However, with little modification of old designs--most notably through the use of inert helium gas rather than flammable hydrogen--the airship can be a most useful advance in the field of transportation. One disadvantage to current airships, which the present invention overcomes, is their bulky front to rear size which necessitates large ground area in order to accommodate landing for loading, unloading and refueling.
Another disadvantage of most conventional airships is the awkwardness and expense associated with landing and anchoring them. In general, once the airship nears the ground, a large (about 10- to 25-man) ground crew is needed to "pull" the airship down to the ground by cables lowered from the gondola and direct the nose of the airship into the anchoring mechanism. Thus, not only is the method of landing somewhat primitive, awkward and time-consuming, but also it involves substantial expense in the form of bulky anchoring structures, compensation for the ground crew, and a relatively lengthy landing approach area.
Moreover, the dangling cables from the airship are dangerous since they can touch high-power lines or get caught in trees and the like. Furthermore, such airships are incapable of truly vertical landing (i.e., without forward movement) unless the ground crew is pulling down the airship. In addition, with the airship tied at its bow to the anchoring stanchion, the airship requires a substantial land area for anchoring if, as is the conventional method, the airship is to be free to swing around the anchoring structure. Thus, with the airship moored by its nose, the circular land area required for mooring the airship has a diameter equal to about twice the length of the airship.
One prior art patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,567,703 issued to Broyles, discloses an anchoring assembly which includes an anchor which is lowered from the gondola and has electromagnets mounted therein. The anchor is suspended by a cable and winch assembly which enables the anchor to be lowered from the gondola and the airship to be pulled down by the winch once the electromagnets have magnetically engaged a suitable anchoring member on the ground, which rigidly anchors the airship to the ground without rotatable capability. Thus, the only rotatability provided by the anchoring mechanism of Broyles is in the cables used to pull the airship to the ground. However, during the pulling-down operation, the airship would be completely at the mercy of the wind while supported by the cable which could be chaffed during the winching operation. In addition, the force acting on the magnet/anchor via the cable disposed in any direction other than vertical would effectively cause a moment on the anchor, which weakens the magnetic attraction between the magnet/anchor and the anchoring structure on the ground. Moreover, lowering the magnet by the cables does not enable truly precision anchoring nor does it enable completely free rotation of the airship relative to the ground since the cables could be twisted and snapped. Furthermore, the winch assembly would add an unnecessarily large amount of weight to the airship.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved airship and anchoring means therefor. Another object of the present invention to provide new and improved methods and associated apparatus for landing and anchoring airships.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and associated apparatus for landing and anchoring the airship, which enables landing and at least initial anchoring essentially by the pilot alone without the need for a ground crew.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved airship having a simple and strong anchoring means, with the airship requiring relatively less land area than conventional techniques for touchdown and anchoring.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an airship whose gondola can be located at various positions with respect to the longitudinal axis of the gas-containing structure so that the gondola can be positioned at the center of static and dynamic balance.
Objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part herein and in part will be appreciated herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations as well as the steps and operations pointed out in the appended claims. Accordingly, the invention resides in the novel method as well as the novel structures, arrangements and improvements herein shown and described.